1. Old fashioned lye soap, made by our great great grandmothers has a bad reputation for being harsh. This was because wood ash was used as their source for lye, and it was difficult to determine the concentration of the resulting lye solution. It could be stronger or weaker depending on the quality of the ash.

Today’s natural lye soap is made with standardized lye pellets or beads. There is no guesswork in how strong the lye solution will be when accurate measuring is used. This allows our soap formulas to be gentle, and properly balanced every time.

What I know as “glycerin soap,” is the clear sort of bar soap that is made by melting down a larger block of clear premade soap bought at a craft store. This soap is far inferior to our natural soap. Glycerin soap is quite often loaded with synthetic ingredients that are drying or sticky and produces bars that have little if any bubbly lather. Glycerin is a wonderful moisturizing component of natural soap, but glycerin alone cannot provide cleansing power.

The oils we use to create our handmade natural soap transform into sodium salts that provide wonderfully gentle cleansing as well. Also, clear bars of made-from-scratch handmade soap are difficult, if practically impossible to create at home. Be wary of anyone claiming to make their own clear soaps from scratch. And, be especially wary of using clear glycerin soaps as full body soaps. They are likely to leave a disappointing feel to your skin.

3. The gentle cleansing and moisturizing ability of natural soap is unrivaled.

Your skin is your largest organ. It responds to the environment, to the foods you eat, to the clothes you wear, and especially to the products you put on it. When we blend our lye solution with oils, we get soap and glycerin. In other words, the glycerin is created in the process. Glycerin is one of the best natural moisturizers for your skin. It is the glycerin component of natural soap that makes it so wonderful! Your skin will be naturally moisturized, rather than slathered with synthetic, drying, petroleum based moisturizers. We have experienced it ourselves, and our repeat customers constantly share their positive experiences with us. Handmade Natural Soap just feels better on skin.

As far as little known facts about natural soap, these are the top three I share with visitors at my craft shows. If I could get everyone looking at my soap to understand these three facts, I bet each and every one would try a bar and become addicted!